Leaving the train station was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through. walking through the doors towards the train took every ounce in my body. I wanted to turn around and go back home... forget I even bought a ticket... forget this whole idea never existed. Waving to my family and my boyfriend was so sad. I wanted to cry but I was so scared... I just couldn't. As I walked to get on the train... I turned back around and thought... All I can do now is start believing in my own dream... believe that this is all worth it for a reason... and hope that everything would fall into place... I stepped onto the train and that was that... No turning back now. The train ride ended up being the longest train ride of my life... 20 hours to be exact. There is so much to talk about... so much to say... Well to begin. NOTHING HAPPENED... at all. no, really. Everything looked like southern Illinois, very rural, and very white with snow. However, I loved the fact that this train was packed and there was never a missed opportunity to people watch. There were alot of young people on the train, mostly my age, some older. It felt like a college train... everyone was heading back to school and away from their friends and family. As I watched some of these students, I realized that many of them probably do this every time they travel to school. They had a book out and patiently waited until they got through the 20 hours. Some talked about their previous trips, while others gave advice to fellow students who were making the trip for the first time. There was one couple in particular that caught my interest. It was an older couple... around their late 60's who sat down in the same lounge car. The wife kept pointing out various artifacts and buildings outside the window and I was curious as to what their story was. The lounge car attendant finally asked them where they were from and they said Chicago. They were taking a "loop" trip. I immediately thought of my parents because I could see them taking the same exciting adventure together. The "loop" trip consisted of taking the Amtrak all the way around the United States and getting off at certain cities. Their loop included stops in Boston, NY, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, California, so on and so forth. AMAZING! Considering that this single trip was 20 hours... I can't imagine how many hours this couple would have to spend together the entire journey! Anyway, watching them made me feel more excited about my own trip and I couldn't wait to get to NYC!